The Dark Path
by Maria Krause
Summary: Hisayo Mei is someone who knows what they're doing.Akatsuki know it too.She is capable of creating a poison dangerous for even the Jinchuriki.Due to the past they share,Itachi is their trump card.What will Mei do when threatened with her brother's death?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: All right, so...I've published a short story ( .net/s/7015494/1/Being_and_Nothingness ) which has sort of become the prologue of this story. You don't really have to read it but the story will make more sense. :) Also, this is my first long fanfic. I hope you enjoy and review!

**Song of the chapter: 'The Dark Path' by Audiomachine**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter one<span>

Mei awoke to an incessant beeping, annoying yet so very familiar. Her first instinct was to open her eyes quickly and jump up but she knew that it would only make her dizzy. She waited a few more seconds before she got up slowly, sighing. She looked around her through her eyelashes. Her guess was correct, she was in a hospital bed.

"Nurse," she called, throat sore and dry. She raised her arm, considering pulling out the perfusion. "Nurse!" She stretched her hand to pull the white curtain but someone else beat her at it. "Kitaě!" Her shocked eyes fell upon a frowning figure. "What are you doing here?" She gulped, supressing her amazement. He snorted.

"What am I doing here? What am I doing here, you ask." He sounded mad but Kitaě was her friend. She knew he wouldn't get mad at her. "You stupid. You got us all worried and you ask what I'm doing here." She lowered her gaze to her lap, muttering a shy apology.

"I didn't mean to. It wasn't my fault, ok? Don't go all ninja on me. You know I don't like it." He pouted. It was his turn to apologize. He knew her very well, she was almost a female version of him. He wouldn't have liked his attitude, either. "Forget it. How long have I been asleep?" she changed the subject.

"A couple of days."

"Why?" He shrugged.

"Lady Tsunade said you used up your chakra. And there was also a certain amount of physical effort and bloodloss involved. What the hell did you do? You looked like crap when I found you."

Mei struggled to refrain her painful memories but to no avail. She clenched her fists on the blanket.

"Where did you find me?"

She always did that. The doctor in her gathered the facts for a self-diagnosis. Kitaě knew how her mind worked. He admired her professional and calm behaviour. Other people would have freaked out but she didn't. Of course she didn't. Half of her time was spent at the Konoha Hospital, aiding her father—a pretty skilled medical nin.

"In the forest, lying unconscious on the ground…" He hesitated. But she didn't let him avoid the details.

"…Well?"

"…wearing an Akatsuki cloak." Her head snapped up. She sprang on him, tackling him to the floor. She ignored the sting caused by the perfusion needle when it left her vein.

"Where is it?" she burst, grabbing him by the collar, "Where is it?" Kitaě was astounded. Why would she care so much about it?

"Together with your other stuff. What's the matter with that cloak? Jesus." She staggered to her feet, heading towards the door. "Mei, oi." He stood up fast and caught her from behind. "Get back in bed."

"Let go of me! Let me go, you hear?" She flung her legs as he held her waist tight and carried her to the bed.

"Shaddap. I'll bring your stuff. Be quiet." He glanced at her bleeding arm. "I'll call a nurse."

Kitaě left the room, thoughtful. There was an unusual pang in his chest. Although he would never admit it out loud, Mei was more than a friend to him. He still remembered his first thought about her when he heard that she was not only a herbalist but also a swordsmith, 'Women making swords? What blasphemy is this?'

He was a proud Suna shinobi of a clan with samurai origins, stationed in Konoha after Orochimaru's invasion, as proof of the alliance between the two villages. He had seen her once, at the hospital, with her brother, Ichiro (whom he later befriended during a mission). The second time he saw her was at her cottage, just outside the Leaf Village, when he went to her looking for new kunai. He was sure that his knowledge about blades—his main weapons—would outmatch her but it ended in a draw.

They had a pretty long quarrel afterwards, about how Mei forges weapons for the Konoha shinobi only and how he was an impudent stranger. The sarcasm battle was a draw as well so he attempted flirting. She appeared oblivious at first but in truth, she was just making fun of him.

As he was walking down the hospital halls, Kitaě remembered how Ichiro arrived at last and settled their argument in Kitaě's favour who put his tongue out like a silly little boy.

"Kitaě?" a voice interrupted his reverie. "That you, Kitaě?" It was Hisayo Tomoya, Mei's father, a 50-something year old with a mind much sharper than the common folk's.

"Mr Tomoya, I was just looking for you. Mei woke up and asked for her things. _All _of them," he emphasized the word without a change in his expression. Tomoya frowned, tapping the file he was holding on the back of his hand.

"I see…You go back and keep an eye on her, I'll go take her things and let Ichiro know." The boy nodded and turned around, returning to Mei.

She was cuddled over the blanket, hugging a pillow. Kitaě stood in the doorframe and hit his forehead. "Damn, I forgot about the nurse!" Mei held up a bandaged arm, saying,

"No worries, I handled it myself." She sat up with slow movements, her scarlet hair adorning her face and curves with an uncalled for sensuality. Kitaě bit his lip. "So, where is my stuff?"

"Your father is bringing them," he pointed with his thumb over his shoulder at the door. "Will you tell me what's the matter with that cloak?"

"Irrelevant." He snapped.

"_What?_ You freakin' jumped on me when I barely _mentioned_ it and you say it's _irrelevant_? Psh!" He snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. She quirked a brow.

"Your temper doesn't affect me, kid." Now he was downright irritated.

"I am _not a kid._" She grinned,

"You're younger than me."

"There's just an eighteen months difference!"

"Only kids count the months, _kid_."

He was ready to make another remark but their fight was interrupted by Tomoya, Ichiro and another jounin. This other jounin was Hatake Kakashi, Konoha's White Fang, or better known as Copy Ninja Kakashi. Mei didn't like it that he was there, although he was one of her good friends.

"I'm glad to see you're up and running," her father said as he handed her the folded cloak along with the tank top and shorts she had also been wearing that day. He smiled kindly at her, patting her head.

"Are you in a rush?" she asked out of the blue. The men stared at her, playing dumb, but they knew that she knew.

"What do you mean?" Ichiro replied, acting ignorant. She glared.

"I'd like to know if I have time to get a change of clothes before being dragged to Tsunade's office for questioning." An awkward silence settled over them. Kakashi scratched the back of his head, smiling.

"My, my. Looks like she got us. It can't be helped. We'll wait outside while Mei-chan dresses up."

He was the first one to walk out. Tomoya followed with reluctance after giving her a peck on the forehead. Glanicng at her from the corner of his light-hazel eye, Kitaě also left, stepping on Ichiro's shadow. The door didn't close, though. A green-eyed blonde stepped inside, carrying some neatly folded clothes.

"Thatnks, Kayoko," Mei mumbled to her apprentice as she got down and took off the loose, hospital robe. She put on the special kimono Kayoko brought her, a personalized one, shorter and sleeveless. She gave the other clothes, including the cloak, to Kayoko and instructed her to take those to their cottage and leave them on Mei's bed. The girl did as told and left without another word.

The three jounin, Kakashi, Ichiro and Kitaě, took her to the Hokage's mansion, where Lady Tsunade was waiting for them in her office. They were all silent for what seemed like ages but in fact just a couple of seconds passed. Lady Tsunade was the first one to speak,

"Mei, what happened to you two days ago?" Mei held the woman's gaze bravely. What could she tell them other than the truth? They could get it out of her mind anyway if they so desired.

"All right. I'll tell you." Taking in a deep breath, she continued, "I woke up in the middle of the night and went to the kitchen. I saw someone outside and grabbed a vial of poison and a tantō sword. When I turned around, this someone was right behind me. I broke the vial of posion and jumped through the window, out in the forest."

Tsunade nodded. She had indeed seen the numerous cuts left untreated although bandaged. It could only mean that the person who wrapped Mei up didn't possess much medical knowledge.

"Someone else was waiting for me outside. He had a large sword. I was knocked out. I woke up in a cave, with a bucket of water splashed in my face. There was this blue man with the large sword whose name I learned later. Kisame, I think."

Kakashi and Ichiro frowned. They could almost guess the rest of the story.

"Go on," Tsunade encouraged her.

"He…He accused me of having done something to his partner. Well, I had done something to him. I poisoned him the other night."

"Who was this partner of his?" Tsunade pressed the matter, seeing that Mei avoided that particular detail. Mei closed her eyes and opened them again ever so slowly.

"Uchiha Itachi." Kitaě was the only surprised person in the room. The other three furrowed their brows in expectation. "He was pained and sweating. I…I healed him. That blue man Kisame brought water while I had my clone pick up some plants. I sent Kisame away again, this time to bring us food. I escaped while he was away, wearing Itachi's cloak because my clothes were too revealing."

Mei didn't tell them about she and Itachi kissing or that Itachi let her go against his partner's wishes.

"Why did you help the enemy?" Kitaě blurted, outraged, "You could've killed him yet you healed him! Whose side are you on?"

There was sadness mingled with anger residing in his right eye. The left one was covered by a black patch because…well, because it had been surgically removed due to a grave wound.

"You wouldn't understand," Mei whispered low enough not to be heard. "I'm afraid there's nothing else I could tell you. I don't even know why I was abducted," she added aloud. Kakashi sighed,

"Well, there could be various reasons. Your weapons, your poisons, your medicine. And now I have to agree with Kitaě." He fixed her black orbs with some sort of warning glare. "You healed him which will only strengthen their beliefs that you could be of use to them."

She balled her fists, holding them tightly against her thighs. "Why would I be of use to them? Their goal is catching Jinchuuriki and extracting Tailed Beasts. I'm not even a shinobi!"

"Enough!" Tsunade quieted everyone. "Go home for now and be careful. Ichiro, I recommend you not to leave her side any time soon. Kitaě, you're dismissed. Kakashi…I still have a word with you."

Kitaě and Ichiro accompanied Mei to the village gate while Kakashi remained in Tsunade's office to discuss the matter further.

"You didn't even thank me," Kitaě mumbled when he was about to part ways with his friends. Mei froze on her tracks, a wave of guilt washing over her. She spun around, throwing herself at him. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he snuck his around her waist.

Kitaě wished he could hold her like that forever. His strong embrace was the safest place on Earth for her. She wouldn't get hurt again, he would see to it. No one would ever reach them, no one would break them apart. He placed her cheek next to hers, whispering in her ear,

"Don't go missing on me like that." His grip became tighter, "Ever again." She buried her face in his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat.

"Thank you, Kitaě." She broke free of his grasp and followed her brother to her cottage in the woods. Kitaě felt cold and empty after he let her go. He didn't like the feeling. He didn't like it at all.

* * *

><p><strong>So...what did you think? The second chapter will be up soon. :) Please tell me your opinions!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Song of the chapter: 'Out of Time' by Audiomachine**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter two<span>

The blonde man walked alongside his crawling companion, the white straps hanging from the conical straw hat obscuring both their faces.

"I can't believe that Itachi failed, even if it was just a test," he said, "What do you think about this, Sasori no danna? Hm." The crawling man took his time to answer,

"You saw him. She poisoned him but healed him." His thick, rough voice sounded very evil. "I'll handle her. Don't get in my way, Deidara."

"Hm," the blonde man, Deidara, smirked, "I wonder if they passed the test."

Ahead of them, through the trees, a traditional house emerged, with round windows here and there and a wooden porch bordering its northern wall. The paper of the sliding doors was replaced with glass and the porch extended like a bridge to a hothouse. Deidara walked to the eastern side of the house—the one oriented towards Konoha—and knocked on the modern, oak door.

"Coming!" a female voice was heard from behind. Soon, the door opened, revealing Mei's black orbs, ignorant for a second but wide in fear the next. She slammed the door shut and ran inside.

"Kayoko! Ichiro!" she yelled. Deidara grinned and waited a minute before kicking the door down.

"Kayoko!" Mei shouted again, rushing to her bedroom. She took out two syringes from a drawer and used them to inject something in each of her forearms. "Kayoko!"

"Yes!" the girl replied, showing up just as a loud blast resounded throughout the cottage. Ichiro had started his fight with the blonde.

"Let's get out of here!" Mei demanded as she threw her katana over her shoulder. Together with Kayoko, she ran to the back of the house, where the glass sliding doors were. Once outside, they were greeted by another man, wearing the same red cloud patterned cloak as Itachi's and the blonde man's.

His attack came so quickly that there was no time for her to dodge it. A huge, scorpion tail stabbed her belly but she caught it with her hands and prevented it from going in too deep.

"Kayoko, run!" The girl was reluctant. She could merely take a few steps back. "The village…run! Bring help! _Run!_" Mei insisted.

The Akatsuki member tried to pull his scorpion tail out of Mei's grasp when Kayoko quickened her pace towards the village. He couldn't. Mei grinned although there was blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. The 'medicine' she had just taken enhanced her already above average level arm strength and resistance to poisons. She knew it wouldn't last long but it gave Kayoko enough time to escape and announce the Konoha shinobi.

Seeing that Mei wouldn't let go of his tail, Sasori whipped it around and smashed her against a tree. He did it again and again until the girl fell unconscious and loosened her grip.

"That Deidara…he'd better not keep me waiting."

Deidara's fight had moved further in the forest, away from the village. Luckily, the cottage wasn't completely ruined. Sasori went to Mei's workshop, located right next to her bedroom.

"This is the wrong one," he muttered as he looked around him.

The workshop was full of shelves covered in kunai and other sorts of blades. There was even a forge and various working tools. The air was still hot, the girl must have been working. He spotted a small iron suqare embedded in one of the walls but it wasn't what he was looking for. He was interested in plants not weapons, although he wouldn't have minded some new blades. But business came first so he crawled to a door which lead him to Mei's bedroom. He would've left immediately, had he not seen the black cloak hanging near the window.

"This might just be of use." He took it and continued to explore the room, thinking that the item could be hidden somewhere.

The two night stands as well as a cabinet isolated in the corner of the room were uninteresting. Sasori looked out the window at Mei's limp and bloodied body. "You'd better not die any time soon," he mumbled and returned to his searches.

Help was on its way from Konoha. Kakashi was leading a small group of ANBU members, followed from afar by Tomoya and Shizune. Kitaě was on leave to Suna otherwise he would have gone ahead of everyone else.

"The noise isn't as loud as before," one of the ANBU noted. Kakashi frowned. They were approaching the cottage yet the noise was decreasing.

"Hurry up!" he demanded. But their efforts were futile. By the time they arrived to the smoking cottage, the Akatsuki had already left, together with Mei.

"They couldn't have gone too far. Let's go!" the ANBU captain ordered and departed with his people. Kakashi and Tomoya began looking for Ichiro while Shizune wandered about, observing the damage caused.

"The northern half of the house is still standing. Mei's workshop, that is," she told them. Tomoya found his son lying uncosncious under a tree trunk.

"Shizune-san! A little help please!"

As Shizune and Tomoya were tending to Ichiro's wounds, Kakashi analysed what was left of the battle scene. Just as Shizune said, the northern side of the cottage was more or less intact. More or less, because Mei's bedroom was turned upside down. "What were they looking for?" he wondered aloud.

As expected, the cloak Mei had been so desperate about a few days ago was also gone. But since he was a stranger to her home, he couldn't tell whether anything else was missing or not. The jounin sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"Tomoya-san! Do you have a minute?" Kakashi called and walked in the workshop-laboratory where Mei dealt with plants. It was full of vials, leaves and flowers spread on working tables, flowerpots protected by glass cases, a microscope, medical tools and many other strange devices. Kakashi felt overwhelmed for a second, getting dizzy. He stumbled on his way outside, closed the door and quickly exited the bedroom to breathe in fresh air.

_I should've thought twice before entering that place. No wonder it wasn't locked_, he told to himself, resting his hands on his knees.

"Kakashi? What is it?" Tomoya ran on the porch, coming across a panting Kakashi. "Don't tell me…You got into Mei's laboratory." The jounin sighed one more time, straightening his back.

"Yes, I did," he answered with a smile. Tomoya shook his head and searched his pocket for a pack of pills, giving a red little marble to his friend.

"Here. Swallow this." Kakashi obeyed. "How long did you stay in there?"

"Um, less than a minute." Tomoya nodded.

"Well, you should survive." Kakashi stared at him with a blank face. "Only Mei and I can go in there unannounced. You see, Mei set up a system of protecting her recipes. If you open that door without doing a certain something, poisonous gas will be released in the room. Not enough to kill you but strong enough to make you hallucinate. My daughter and I have developed it together."

_And now you tell me…_, Kakashi thought bitterly.

"Anyway," Tomoya prepared to change the subject, "what did you need me here for?" Kakashi blinked, remembering that he had called Tomoya for a reason.

"Oh, yeah," he finally exclaimed, "I want you to check these rooms thoroughly and see if something else, besides Mei, is missing." Once Tomoya laid his eyes upon the mess in the bedroom, he panicked.

He ran to one of the nightstands and fell on his knees when he saw the shards of glass on the floor. There was a broken photo frame lying next to the photo of a woman. "It's gone!" Tomoya hissed, ignoring the shards of glass as he searched the floor with his hands. He rushed to the wall in front of Mei's bed where a large, framed picture of him and his children was hanging, near the entrance in the laboratory. Meanwhile, Kakashi had picked up the photo. The woman in it looked like a more mature and older Mei.

Tomoya had difficulty in taking the family picture down because his hands hurt and because it was quite heavy. Kakashi came to his aid. Behind the picture there was a safe whose door was closed but unlocked. The older man produced two keys from it, one of which was very little. He strode towards the second nightstand and pushed open the door next to it. It was Mei's blacksmithing workshop.

"This shouldn't have been…No, it's ok, Mei was working," he concluded when he saw the unpolished katana blade on the table.

Tomoya couldn't be relieved just yet. He walked to the far left corner of the workshop, in line with but far away from the forge. There was supposed to be another safe but this one was unlocked as well. A square of iron was moving back and forth. Tomoya dropped the two keys and collapsed on his knees. Kakashi took them and tried the lock of the second safe. The bigger key was a match.

"Lady Tsunade…we have to go to Lady Tsunade right away!" Tomoya whispered, hands trembling.

"Tomoya-san!" Shizune's voice interrupted them, "Ichiro-san has just regained consciousness!"

But Tomoya was too engulfed in his own thoughts to give Shizune any attention, regardless of his son. Kakashi left in silence, telling Tomoya to meet up with them at the hospital. The old man stayed alone for a couple of minutes. He gathered his strength and went back to the bedroom. He carefully bandaged his hands and picked up the photo of the woman.

"Tsuneko…This is one of the few times when I'm glad that you're not here." A tear fell on her short, red hair. "Our daughter is—" He placed the photo in one of his pockets and headed for Konoha. Lady Tsunade along with Shizune and Kakashi were waiting in Ichiro's hospital room.

"So, what's the emergency?" Tsunade asked, arms crossed over her chest.

"Mei has been kidnapped," Tomoya stated. Tsunade nodded.

"I know. What about it? The fact is grave enough as it is."

"Many years ago, during the Third Great Shinobi War…" He hesitated, looking for the appropriate words. "I was…I was given a very special task. I was to prepare a very strong poison that could—that could kill even a Jinchuuriki." Astonished silence. "I came up with something. Something very dangerous. But, fortunately, the war ended before I finished it. I locked the scrolls away and destroyed the ingredients. I've never brought this up ever since. I don't know how many people knew about it, either." He breathed in.

"Thing is, the scrolls are gone. The recipe has been stolen."

"Don't tell me—" Shizune began but froze in the middle of the sentence.

"So, the Akatsuki stole the recipe of the posion and kidnapped Mei to have her make it for them. But of what use would it be to them if they need the Jinchuuriki alive?" Kakashi inquired.

"Well, you see, I never finished the recipe. It can be perfected by someone who knows what they're doing. Jinchuuriki are strong. If the right amount of perfected poison is administered to the Jinchuuriki, it might just…knock them out for long enough." Tsunade frowned,

"Is Mei…someone who knows what they're doing?"

Tomoya's lips curved into a half-proud, half-sad smile, "Last time I checked, she was. We haven't crossed paths often lately. But she's been working every single day. My parents have even considered giving up their grudge against her and accept her into the family. That's how impressive her progress has been, you know my parents."

Kakashi thought about Hisayo Isoroku and Setsuna, the elders of the Hisayo family who had disapproved of their son's marriage and cast him away from the village. It was because of them, her grandparents, that Mei couldn't stand elders. They refused to take her into the family because she was a girl, despite the fact that they have controlled half of Ichiro's life and named him their heir.

"Then," Tsunade began, "if that's what they wanted—Mei and the recipe—why didn't Itachi take the scrolls the first time?"

"It was a test," Ichiro intervened, "the blonde who fought me told me. He said that Itachi's mission had nothing to do with the scrolls and that they simply made a test. I don't know _who_ they tested but I find it pointless to test one of their own. The test was…The test was for Mei."

Kakashi's eyes went wide with realisation.

"When Itachi slaughtered his whole clan…I—we were there. Mei saw him. She…she said words she would have never said. Mei admired—no, she idolized him. 'Itachi-oniichan' she'd say. She was happy that he allowed her to call him that. She envied Sasuke. But as she grew older, she was glad that she and Itachi weren't siblings. They were just one year apart." Ichiro paused, clenching his fists on the blanket.

"Mei…Mei cared very much about him. If they had been older, I could say, without a doubt, that she loved him. The test was to see…if Itachi can manipulate her." Tsunade grinned,

"Even if that was the case, Mei wouldn't fall for his tricks unless it's to her advantage. That girl…is too selfish to let herself be manipulated."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Second chapter is up already! I wanted you to get a better look at what the story's going to be about...although the most important thing isn't up yet. :) Please tell me what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Song of the chapter: 'Legends of Victory' by Audiomachine**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Three<span>

Mei didn't open her eyes when she came back to her senses. The light was too bright. She decided that she could fake being asleep and eavesdrop while she was at it. But her plan didn't work. Someone must have noticed the change in her breathing pattern.

"Are you finally awake?" a strange voice spoke. It was strange because it didn't sound like anything she had expected. It was calm and young, almost gentle. "You can open your eyes now," it said as the lights went out. Mei held her breath, glancing through her eyelashes a the figure hovering above her. She dared to open her eyes fully in the end and locked gazes with the man.

"How long have I been asleep?" she asked bluntly.

"A couple of days," the red-haired young man replied. Mei grimaced. She had heard that before. Same question, same answer. Too déjà vu.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm the one who brought you here."

"And I'm a shinobi," she spat with sarcasm. The man—no, boy walked away to a desk, the only lit place in that huge cave. "The creep who brought me here was an ugly monster not some teenage heart-throb." The redhead froze in his tracks just as someone snorted. Mei turned her head around, noticing a blonde man sitting in the corner.

"I feel more insulted than flattered," the boy commented, "I am Sasori and the _ugly monster_ was Hiruko, my puppet." Sasori glared at his shocked hostage.

"Sasori? As in…Sasori of the Red Sand?"

He smiled with delight, "You've heard of me. I'm surprised."

"I know people."

She thought about Kankuro, one of the Sand Siblings and a puppet master. Although he was an enemy during Orochimaru's invasion, Mei befriended him when she went on a trip to Sunagakure to buy ingredients for one of her recipes. Their similar personalities and his interest for poison and blades for his puppets had created a pretty strong bond between the two of them. Kankuro was the only shinobi outside of Konoha—besides Kitaě but he worked for Konoha as well as for Sunagakure—who Mei sold weapons and poisons to. During one of her deliveries, he had talked to her about Sasori of the Red Sand, the master who had made his puppets.

"So, what do you plan to do with me now?" she casually questioned, "The tail of that puppet was poisoned, there's no mistaking about that. You kept me alive. But you could have as well killed me. It would have made no difference at all." She smirked.

"What do you mean?"

"What do I mean? You've healed me and haven't noticed yet?" Her grin was irritating. She seemed to be confident in her strength without realising the danger she was actually in. "I am….paralysed." Sasori stared in awe at her. It couldn't be. He had been very careful while handling her, making sure she'll survive.

"I certainly wouldn't have gone through the trouble of paralysing you after struggling to maintain your life." Mei laughed.

"It's not you. It's me. I know I'm paralysed because I did it myself. Or so the story goes."

"Explain yourself." Sasori was angered. Was this stupid girl making fun of him?

"Very well. How do you think I was able to hold your tail in place for so long? I'm not a shinobi." He narrowed his eyes.

"I see…You've used some sort of medicine—or poison—to gain that strength and in turn, your body was paralysed. It's most likely a temporary effect. It should subside soon."

"What makes you think that?" He was irked by the unusual amount of superiority mingled in her voice.

"Because every boost of strength comes with a disadvantage. Considering that you weren't strong enough to tear off Hiruko's tail, I'll conclude that the disadvantage is as big." The sly smile on her face was frustrating, as if she was so much better than him. "Am I right?"

"Wrong!" she exclaimed. Sasori was bewildered. That girl was indeed stupid. She said her body was paralysed. She had no means of even trying to defend herself if he attacked her. If she was that stupid, then she was useless.

"A couple of days, you told me. Probably no more than two or three days. Well, then…I don't know how long it took you to get here but it's no further than 2 or less days of walking from Konoha. You want me. For some reasons unbeknownst to me, you want me to do something for you. And after the show you held at my house…there's just a matter of time before I'm found."

Sasori gripped the edge of the desk to hold his nerves in. He needed the girl alive.

"My paralysis will account for that matter of time. That's because it'll last at least a week from now on, I'm not sure. I've never used that drug before. You see, you were right about the disadvantage being as big as the boost."

Mei fixed Sasori's eyes. Although she was lying down and he was taller in that situation, she was looking down on him.

"Truth is, you never struggled to save me from _your_ poison. My drug was the real danger. It not only increased my strength but it also offered me a greater resistance to toxic substances. Amazing, isn't it? I made it." She grinned again, much smuglier this time.

"What are you smiling about?" Deidara asked as he stood up and walked towards her, "Pissing Sasori-danna off is not funny at all. Hm." Mei examined the blonde fellow from top to bottom.

"You're the one who knocked on the door and fought my brother, aren't you?"

"Exactly. That brother of yours was a nuisance. Good thing I got rid of him. Hm." She arched a brow.

"Impossible." Her statement was followed by a thoughtful pause. Mei _knew_ that her brother wasn't dead. He wouldn't go down so easily. But she pondered whether letting them think that he was dead indeed would be to Ichiro's advantage. "Impossible…," she repeated, voice a meager whisper. Deidara smirked with satisfaction, fooled by Mei's act.

"Bastard!" she swore at him, black irises smouldering. "Bastard!" she yelled again and would've cried, had she been a more talented actress.

"That's enough!" Sasori interfered, "Let us go, Deidara. I never signed up for babysitting." Sasori jumped in his puppet and crawled away, followed by Deidara.

They passed through a opening in the wall in a larger and taller cavern. Three dark figures were stanidng on the side of it where the ground became some sort of shore. A broad stripe of water lay between the shore and a giant boulder which guarded the entrance. Two of the dark figures were Itachi and Kisame. The third one was a green hologram but the cloud patterns were still visible on his cloak although they weren't red.

"How is she?" the hologram asked in a distorted voice.

"She claimed to be paralysed," Sasori replied but his voice was no longer young. "I don't think she's lying because I've noticed that she hasn't moved a muscle other than her head."

"Looks like we'll get to do some serious babysitting here, Itachi-san," Kisame told his partner.

"Looks like it," Itachi approved.

"Then, Kisame and Itachi, you'll be in charge of taking care of her for the time being. I assume that this paralysis is not permanent," the hologram glanced at Sasori, who nodded, "Summon me as soon as she recovers." With that, he vanished. Kisame sighed,

"Tell me again, why do _we_ have to do this when you were the one to get her?" he addressed Sasori.

"Because _you_ were the lucky one teamed up with Itachi," Sasori muttered and kept going. Deidara made a hand sign and the giant boulder rose above the water.

"See you later! Hm," Deidara called over his shoulder just as he and his partner walked under the boulder. Once they were out of sight, the boulder was lowered back in place and Itachi went to Sasori's laboratory, adjacent to the cavern in which they had been.

Mei was lying down on what seemed to be a surgery table, body stiff and bandaged up. She appeared to be sleeping at first but when Kisame approached her, she opened her eyes suddenly. She frowned at his sharky grin.

"You again," she noted with indifference.

"Miss me?" Kisame countered, still grinning. "Oi, Itachi-san. She can talk." Mei's jaws clenched involuntarily upon hearing Itachi's name. "We won't have to guess what she wants to tell us. She can spit it herself."

"Will you be my nannies until I get back to normal?" She didn't take her eyes off the blue giant as he walked towards a stone in the corner and sat on it. Itachi was standing by the desk, examining some papers.

"More like your nurses," the Uchiha answered, switching on a lamp near Mei's bed. She bit her lip, imagining what that could imply.

"I have just one question," she blurted, holding Itachi's onyx gaze with a confidence she had been only dreaming about before. She waited for an answer but took the silence as an incentive to continue, "Why? What am I good for? I'm not a Jinchuuriki so why?"

"That's a stupid question," Itachi stated without a single change in his countenance and returned to the desk. His hand wandered over some documents then disappeared into a drawer. It resurfaced holding a small bottle. He shook it a little, examining the little waves created in the liquid. He went back to Mei and held it to her mouth.

"Drink this," he demanded as he put his palm under her head, lifting it a little.

"No way in hell!" she yelled, cringing. Itachi looked at her with his impassive eyes.

"Very well." He took a sip of the liquid, without swallowing it, and kissed Mei all of a sudden. Her eyes widened but when she realised what he was doing, it was too late to close her mouth. The contents of the vial had already slipped down her throat. Itachi straightened his back slowly and licked his bottom lip with the tip of his tongue.

"Damn…you…," Mei hissed, glaring at him. Itachi put her head down then wiped his chin with the back of his hand. Once she was sound asleep, Itachi set up an in vivo perfusion system, fixing the needle in her arm with adhesive bandage.

"This should save us the trouble of taking her of her for the following…" He thought for a second and checked Sasori's papers again. "For the following 60 hours." Kisame shook his head.

"You enjoyed that just now, didn't you, Itachi-san? That kiss?" Kisame kept his sharky grin in spite of the daggers Itachi was looking at him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I recommend YouTube-ing the songs! I choose them for every chapter to match its contentc. They are just soundtracks, that's all Audiomachine does. It won't take you long, 3-4 mintes at the most. :) Please listen to them, I'm sure you will enjoy! Please review! ^_^ I'll give you a cookie XP**


	4. Chapter 4

**Song of the chapter: 'Final Decision' by Audiomachine**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter four<span>

Kitaě almost had a heart attack when he arrived to Mei's house when he returned to Konoha. Aisde from the builders working on it, there was a major change of scenery towards south-east. He had been gone for no more than 10 days and the place had been turned upside down.

"Thank you for your hard work!" Kayoko was telling the workers as she was walking around the house. "Lunch is almost ready!" She kept going until she reached the western wall of the house where she came across Kitaě. "Ah, Kitaě-kun!" She didn't seem too pleased to see him.

"What happened here?" he harshly questioned.

"Um, well…Um…" She fidgeted with reluctance.

"Where is Mei?" Kayoko avoided his gaze. "Where is she?" he burst, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. "Tell me, where is she?"

"I don't know!" she cried, "I don't know…"

"Kayoko-chan…I'm—I'm sorry. I'll—I'll go talk to Tomoya-san. Um, sorry again. Bye."

He took off quickly towards the village and went straight to the hospital without dropping by his apartment. He had a bad feeling. A bad feeling he didn't like at all.

"Damn you, Mei! Where the hell are you?"

Mei sneezed. She would've lifted her hand to wipe her nose but it felt too heavy. She had begun to regain her mobility but she still couldn't move around freely just yet.

"I told you," she began, "It's been a week already and I'm still not well. I'm of no use to you. How long are you gonna put up with me?"

Kisame was, as always, grinning, revealing his pointy teeth.

"Then, we could as well kill you, couldn't we?" The girl shrugged.

"That…or take me back to Fire Country." Kisame laughed and shook his head.

"Maybe you are useless. Because you're stupid." Mei moved her fingers. She would've waved her hand dismissvely.

"Been told before."

"You should be walking on your own two feet in no more than five days," Itachi interrupted the conversation, bringing her something to eat.

Mei dreaded those moments. Although she liked having him close to her, the fact that he was doing it for the sake of the Akatsuki and not hers disturbed her. Itachi had been feeding her the whole time. At first, she believed that he still cared about her and that he did it to help her. But later, as his expression never changed, she started to think that it was an intimidation strategy. They knew about her weakness for him.

On the other hand, as convinced as she was that he didn't give a rat's ass about her, there were always those little details which caught her attention every time. The way he was so gentle whenever he checked her temperature or carried her to the bathroom. The way he pulled the blanket over her shoulders when he thought she was asleep and wouldn't see him. The way his fingers grazed her bare skin when he applied ointment over her wound and changed the bandages.

It all sent shivers down her spine and gave her goosebumps, tearing down her conviction that he was a heartless bastard brick by brick.

"Ah!" Mei gasped as a few rice grains fell off her chin on her chest. For a moment, she visualized Itachi licking them off but that image vanished with a shake of the head. He stretched out his hand to her chest, took the grains and ate them. Mei froze, staring at his every move. She focused on his lips curling around his finger for more than necessary. "You're such a tease…," she whispered in a very low voice.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing!" was her quick reply.

All the while, Kisame was looking amused at them, knowing perfectly well what Itachi was doing. _Tsk, tsk, tsk, Itachi-san…This might be our assignment but it appears to me you are enjoying it a bit too much…_ Kisame chuckled, remembering the orders they had been given.

_"Itachi, you are the key member of this mission. You have to keep an eye on Mei. You're the only one she'll trust and through you, we'll be able to control her every move and thought."_

Despite that, Kisame considered Itachi's behaviour exaggerated. But, as surprising as it was, it worked. The blue man had no idea about Itachi and Mei's bond of the past. Kisame had believed that their Leader was referring to genjutsu but Itachi hadn't used genjutsu on her at all.

_I shouldn't complain, though. This is very interesting to watch…_, he told to himself and kept observing from his dark spot in the back of the cave.

Mei sneezed again. She wondered who was talking so much about her.

"_What?_" Kitaě slammed his hands on Tsunade's desk. "Mei is…That can't be! Damn it. Damn it!" He balled his fist. "Have you started looking for her?" Tsunade frowned.

"I sent out a team right after it happened. Ichiro also took a team five days ago. He took the lead after the rendezvous on the eastern border of the Wind Country. I've arranged with Gaara to assist them if they need help."

Kitaě calmed down. "Where are they now?"

"River Country. Ichiro claimed that the Akatsuki headed in that direction when they left. However, they could be anywhere." Tsunade stood up and looked outside the window. "It's almost impossible to search for her like this. As we talk, they could still be in Fire Country or all the way across in Lightning Country."

"We should spread the news about her disappearance so that they can't move around easily."

"I've thought about that, too. But we'd have to give a reason why she's wanted so badly. And we can't let the information about the poison slip out."

"I'm going. Whether I meet up with Ichiro or not, I don't care."

"Don't be stupid!" Tsunade thundered, "You'd be no match for any of the Akatsuki members. You'll just get yourself killed."

"But Mei is—"

"I know. But honestly, the more I think about it, the less I worry about it." Kitaě was astounded.

"I know she's not even a shinobi but she's still a Konoha citizen! How can you be so—"

"Mei will be all right," Tsunade cut him off. "They need her alive and well. They won't hurt her."

"How can you be so sure? They'll dispose of her once they don't need her anymore." Tsunade bit her lip.

"Mei isn't stupid. But she doesn't know much about the Akatsuki. Neither do we, at that matter. Even if she tries to kill any of the members—which I'm almost sure she will—there's no telling what will happen. She'll be killed if caught, no doubt."

Kitaě stood agape in the middle of the office. He had never imagined Mei killing somebody. The fact that she had helped the enemy—Itachi—only strengthened his beliefs. Sure, she was indifferent and straightforward, mean at times, but she was compassionate. She couldn't hurt a fly—or, at least he never saw her doing it.

"Tomoya doesn't remember well the recipe. It's been almost twenty years and he's tried his best to forget it to erase the guilt."

"Guilt? What did he feel guilty about?"

"Tomoya is not a shinobi. He's a doctor. He doesn't take lives. He saves them. Creating such a dangerous poison was against his morals."

Kitaě straightened his back and rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. "So, what do we do? I'm not going to stay still until they come after Naruto or the Kazekage." Tsunade didn't answer. She ordered Kitaě to leave and bit her thumb. Her brain was telling her to have faith in Mei but her gut disagreed.

Five more days passed and there was still no sign of the Akatsuki. Nothing that could mean that they were about to get ahold of a lethal weapon. That was because the fun was just about to start.

Just as Itachi had predicted, Mei regained her mobility fully after five more days. She would've faked her paralysis for a longer time but she was unlucky. Because of Itachi's odd doings, Mei had nightmares. One night, she writhed in her sleep so badly that she fell off the surgery table that acted as her bed. Her arms and legs were trembling but she managed to crawl back up. It was happening on the sixth night, after a whole day of pretending that she was paralysed. In the morning, someone pushed her out of bed and she fell on the floor once again.

"Get up," a new voice demanded. It wasn't Itachi's, nor Kisame's. She looked up to a pale face with numerous piercing and purple eyes. "I know you can move. Get up," the man demanded again.

Seeing that she refused to comply, he dug his fingers in her hair and lifted her off the ground. With a swift movement, he threw her against a wall then walked up to her and dragged her up by her neck.

"Listen to me and do as I say otherwise I'll break your neck." Mei attempted to grin in spite of her choking. The orange-haired man let go of her and she slumped at the base of the wall.

"That'd be against your purposes, wouldn't it?"

"Maybe. But killing off your brother wouldn't." Her head snapped up. "He's been wandering around for a while. He and his team left two days ago. But that doesn't mean we can't get to him. We can. And I will if I must."

"What do you want?" she spat at him. Her venom was hard to miss. It would've stung anyone else but the orange-head didn't even flinch. He walked to Sasori's desk and took a medium-sized scroll from one of the drawers. "This," he said and handed it to her.

She yanked it from him and opened it, hesitant. She couldn't believe her eyes as she read. Her hands were shivering. "This is…this is my father's handwriting. What is this?" Mei recognized many dangerous toxins written in what looked like a recipe.

"What you have to do." Mei continued to study the notes, catching on to their meaning. It was the recipe of what appeared to be a deadly poison and, judging by the writing, it belonged to her father. "You have time until tomorrow to figure out that scroll. If you don't, Ichiro dies."

She ignored him and kept examining the scroll, not because the orange-head told her so but because she was curious why her father would make such a thing.

* * *

><p><strong>Please review! :)<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Long chapter! But I hope you like it! ^_^ Review! Btw, that song is EPIC. EPIC, I say!**

**Song of the chapter: 'The Adventure Begins' by Audiomachine**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter five<span>

It was frustrating, to say the least. Mei had her eyes trained on the scroll, processing its content at an unbelievable slow speed. At first glance, she had perceived it as a poison recipe because of the dangerous toxins mentioned in there. But later she realized that there were no directions of _how_ the ingredients should be mixed. And then, there were also these useful herbs put together with the toxins. In conclusion, it was completely and utterly _meaningless_.

On the other hand, the handwriting definitely belonged to her father and Sasori had probably taken the scroll from her house—it would explain why they didn't leave as soon as he knocked her out. So how come her father—the person she respected the most and looked up to—was the author of such a thing?

For a moment, she thought that maybe she was too stupid. Until her mind was invaded by entirely different thoughts. She lifted her gaze involuntarily towards Itachi as the notion of betrayal infected her brain. The Uchiha noticed that she was looking at him but when he turned his head around, she quickly avoided eye contact.

Mei wanted from the bottom of her heart to reject the idea of her father being a traitor. He was a kind and generous man. Everybody loved him and he loved them all in return. He had made saving lives the purpose of his existence and although his daughter never showed signs of such good-nature, he still passed his knowledge to her, influencing her greatly. Even if that scroll was never supposed to leave the cottage, Mei couldn't help but feel betrayed anyway. Tomoya had never told her about it. She gripped it tighter and hugged her knees, hiding her desolate face.

Itachi could more or less guess what was going on in her heart. He was well aware of the pain he had caused her years ago and the current situation was pretty much similar. And, just like back then, there was nothing he could do for her. She had to deal with it on her own once again.

"Do you think she'll get over the shock any time soon?" Kisame asked his partner, intrigued by Itachi's intense stare.

"Who knows…," the Uchiha replied vaguely, not taking his eyes off the girl. A sly smile crept up his lips as he saw Mei's head jerk up suddenly. Surprise was written all over Kisame's expression. "I believe it happened sooner than you had expected," Itachi noted.

Mei stood up, her brows furrowed. She walked with the scroll to Sasori's desk and spread it across it. She crossed her arms over her chest, thinking. Her father might be a traitor, but he wasn't stupid. She couldn't just label the recipe as meaningless if her father had been the one to do it.

But, no matter how much she looked at it, something was missing. There were no exact quantities mentioned, only how much of a certain toxin is lethal for the average human. "It's incomplete," she concluded aloud. "Hey, Uchiha," she called, without turning around, "What the hell am I supposed to do with this?"

"It's your job to figure it out," the man responded.

"Then, let me rephrase, what the hell do you need it for?"

He approached her with steady steps, stopping right behind her. He leaned forward to look at the scroll over her shoulder. Mei tensed but kept a straight face.

"It doesn't matter, just make it," he told her on a matter-of-fact tone which almost made her punch him.

"Easier said than done," she spat, "this recipe hasn't been completed. From what I can tell, it's meant to be extremely dangerous. If I just find a way to mix the ingredients, it'll be an instantaneous-death-bringer. Is that what you want?"

Itachi frowned. "Not exactly." He stretched out his arm, pointing at the scroll, "Why is that toxin surrounded by herbs?"

"Heh, that's a genius for you," Mei mumbled. "This has been made by my father. It was one of his basic teachings that when making a poison, you also have to come up with an antidote for it. So that's what those herbs are for. To counter the toxin."

He narrowed his eyes, "Good. Put in the herbs to make the poison less dangerous."

"I won't," she replied.

Itachi analyzed her countenance from the corner of his eye. He had hoped she wouldn't be too stubborn but it seemed that wasn't the case. _Don't make me hurt you, Mei…_

"I won't do this unless you tell me what it's for. And not even then will I do it unless it's on my own terms. Your choice."

Kisame chuckled, "You're in no position to set the terms of the deal."

She whipped around, glaring at the blue man, "You're in no position to reject my offer, either. I could easily kill myself and put a quick end to this. I'm going to die when this is over, anyway, but at least you won't get what you want."

"Don't think too highly of yourself, brat," Kisame snorted, "There are others smarter than you out there. But it was more convenient to get you to do it, since you were in the same place as the scroll. We killed two birds with one stone."

She grinned, although there was no reason for her to, "Or so you say. Let's see who's going to replace me if I do this!"

She spun on her heels, gathered the scroll with one sweep of her hand and tore it apart. It all happened in a matter of seconds and if Itachi hadn't been there, she would've ripped it to pieces. Luckily—or unluckily—the Uchiha caught her wrists before she caused anymore trouble. His grip was so tight that she dropped the separated halves of the scroll and even grimaced because of the pain.

"Damn you!" she hissed, struggling to free herself. To no avail, though. Itachi was too strong for her. Besides, in that situation there was nothing she could do. Maybe, a kick below the belt then an elbow in the head.

Why not give it a try?

Mei began to lift her foot but Itachi's inhuman speed and sharp eyes rendered her strategy a failure: he let go of one of her hands while pulling on her other one. In less than a second, she had her back against his chest and his left forearm below her chin. He used his right arm to point a kunai at her cheek.

She gasped, suddenly aware of the danger she was in. Her eyes went wide, mouth agape. "Don't screw with me!" she yelled, tears obvious in her voice but not in her eyes. She grabbed Itachi's forearm with both her hands, out of despair more than anything.

But then she relaxed, leaning her head back against his chest, lowering her eyelids over her tired orbs, holding his forearm in what looked like a hug. "It's been a while, you know…," she whispered, mesmerized by his scent. "A long, painful while. Do you remember, Itachi, when we were kids and you had just graduated from the Academy while I wasted my time on the streets of Konoha? Oh, boy, was that fun."

Itachi froze. He had never expected her to bring up memories of the past. Memories he had tried so hard to rid himself of. Mei laughed. A short, soft laugh that almost made him shiver.

"I remember even now how all those girls were swooning over you and the guys hated you because you were a genius. No one understood you. They were all clueless kids who had nothing better to do than…show off. And bully other kids. Hmph. I've always liked my hair, the only thing I have left from my mother, but for some reason the bullies didn't. I still wonder what their problem with people's hair is."

Her hand traveled down to his wrist until their fingers met. "You scared them off for me. I'll never forget your disgusted expression when you saw that they were hitting me just to pass time. Annoying brats. 'Whoa, he's so cool!' I had thought but I was…I knew you were completely out of my reach."

She entwined their fingers with little difficulty as she kept remembering. "God bless Ichiro's soul, we managed to become friends thanks to him. But I—I—" She clenched her jaw, angered by her own uselessness of the past. "I couldn't do anything…," she lastly added, giving in to the tears.

Itachi dropped the kunai and put his right arm around Mei's shoulders, making for a very awkward hug as he rested his chin atop her head. "Enough already," he said, quite tenderly, "Why are you doing this to yourself?"

Mei laughed but unlike the last time, her laugh was bitter, "As if you cared."

He held her tighter, "I do. That's why…I'm sorry, Mei."

Taken aback by his statement, she turned her head slightly to look him in the eye. She'd realize later that it was a mistake to gaze into those scarlet orbs.

Her body fell limp in his arms. Kisame watched as his partner gently swept her off her feet and laid her on the surgery table, then wiped her cheeks with his thumb and index finger.

"It was about time, Itachi-san," Kisame broke the silence, "I was just wondering when you'd get to that."

Itachi ignored his partner's comments, focusing his attention on Mei. He placed his palm on her forehead with a concerned look in his eyes. Mei hardly knew what genjutsu even was. She'd heard about illusions and stuff like that but Itachi's genjutsu was on a whole different level. She could train her body to sustain physical damage but the mind was more vulnerable. Genjutsu was her weakest weakness—and he could tell. Hopefully, she wouldn't lose the battle from deep within her soul.

_Who's laughing? Why are they laughing? What's going on?_

"_That's what you get for picking a fight with a ninja!"_

_Ah, it hurts. My head…as if someone's pulling on my hair…_

"_I haven't seen you in the Academy! Loser!"_

_Loser? It's been over a decade since someone called me that. Could it be those bullies? But…how?_

"_What's going on here?"_

_That is…Itachi's voice. Open your eyes, Mei. Open your eyes!_

_Oh, that's me…and the bullies are running…Itachi's there…He's walking away. Wait!_

"_Wait!"_

_I stood up. How can I look at my young self like this? Itachi turned around. Why? He never talked to me back then. But this is my chance to thank him._

"_Thank you. You're a life-saver."_

_Ah, look at me…I'm obviously so emberrassed. Everyone would be, around that guy. He's just so…_

"_You're welcome."_

_He smiled! He was so cute! He has to smile more often. I'll make him smile. What are you waiting for, young Mei? Follow him!_

_The little me followed him and we walked in silence for a while. It felt good to simply be by his side. He glanced at me from the corner of his eye and smiled. That smile was worth all the trouble I've been put through!_

"_I-If there's something I could ever do for you, Itachi-kun…just…"_

_Itachi-kun? Since when? I've always called him 'oniichan'. Is this…_

_He stopped. Why did he stop?_

"_Actually, there is."_

_Why were his eyes so…full of emotion? Why did I feel like he was staring right into my soul?_

"_Tell me, tell me!"_

_I was too excited. This was bad. Bad._

"_A poison. Will you make it for me, Mei?"_

_A poison? What poison? _That_ poison?_

"_Of course!"_

_No, you idiot, don't agree to such a thing so easily!_

_But he smiled. And his smile did the trick. He fooled me._

Mei woke with such a start that she fell out of 'bed', again. "What the hell?"

"You're finally awake, hm," someone noted.

"That voice!" Mei rushed to her feet which made her a bit dizzy. But she could still see that Itachi and Kisame weren't around anymore. Sasori and Deidara had replaced them.

"Itachi warned me that you may have trouble because of the genjutsu," Sasori said, "Drink this." He handed her a small bowl, full of something smelly.

She took it reluctantly and gulped it down even if her nose crinkled. She knew from experience that good medicine was not always tasty and she also knew that they wouldn't kill her. Still, something didn't settle well with her. Genjutsu? What was that supposed to mean?

Mei wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, her eyes unfocused. Then she remembered…She had looked into Itachi's sharingan. _It wasn't a dream, was it? _she wondered, _He took advantage of my weak subconscious to drill in my head the idea of making the poison._

"If that's how you want to play, very well. You shall have it your way…," she murmured as she sauntered to the desk. The scroll was spread on it, held together by a stripe of duct tape glued on its back. "I'll do this," she announced out of the blue.

_I'll do this and kill you all…Starting with you, Itachi,_ she mentally added as her fist clenched on the paper. "Do you have a map?" she asked the redhead on a serious tone. Sasori's eyes narrowed but he searched for a map in the drawers of his desk anyway. He gave it to Mei and waited.

Her behaviour managed to raise his suspicions. Why was she suddenly willing to do as they wanted her to? Itachi's genjutsu was a horrible experience but it was hard to believe that Mei would comply so soon.

"It's going to be a lengthy journey," Mei's voice interrupted Sasori's reverie.

"What do you mean, hm?" Deidara questioned, approaching her.

"Well, I've written the names of all the ingredients on the regions to which they belong." Both men looked at the map. Deidara was surprised while Sasori kept his calm demeanour. "Transporting all of these back here is going to be troublesome."

Sasori analyzed the map. There were a lot of countries involved, including the Fire Country and a few of its neighbors. What if it was an escaping route? "You're not going to travel alone, you are aware of that, I presume?" he mentioned, mostly to see her reaction.

"That was to be expected," was her only answer.

"Leader will be here shortly," Deidara intervened, "you'd better have everything planned out by the time he arrives, hm."

Mei crossed her arms over her chest, "There's not much planning to do, though. I need fresh gingko and hawthorn leaves as well as hawthorn flowers and berries. I was thinking that maybe a sealing jutsu or something like that would work. But I've no idea about jutsu. The other plants can be easily uprooted or dried, as for the two toxins, vials will do just fine."

"So special means of transportation are needed only in Forest Country and Waterfall Country?" Sasori concluded. Mei nodded. "Then we shall depart as soon as we inform Leader about this," he continued, "he'll also decide who's going to accompany you."

Upon hearing those words, Mei's heart began to pound heavily against her ribs. Who will it be? Itachi and Kisame? Sasori and Deidara? Someone else she's never heard of? Sure, the poison didn't need any planning but her own, secret scheme had to be thought through carefully. She was up against Akatsuki, after all. And she had no idea what any of them were capable of.

"You'd better rest," Sasori told her, "Itachi's genjutsu has taken its toll on you."

"What?"

"You writhed an awful lot in your sleep. You've got bags under your eyes. Exhaustion is written all over your face. I'm surprised you can still stand."

Mei couldn't disagree with him, although she wanted to. She had ignored the pain in her muscles and struggled to keep her eyes open. Her dream was beautiful just in appearance. It had actually been a strain put on her mind to wear her out and make her commit to their wishes. But she wouldn't let it be the case. She'd fight and die on her own terms.

"All right." She walked to the surgery table, grimacing. There was no mattress on it, not even a blanket. She could've as well slept on the floor. No wonder her body hurt.

"I brought you a blanket, hm."

Mei turned to Deidara with some sort of creepy smile. That man blew up her house and hurt her brother. He was placed second on her 'to kill' list. "Thank you very much!" Her voice had a bitter-sweet undertone to it that sent shivers down his spine. Their gazes locked for no more than a second but it was enough to establish a mutual aversion.

But, the next morning, she had to agree that sleeping on a blanket was indeed more comfortable and a good night's rest also enlivened her spirits. She was prepared to embark on a journey around the world, excited to discover new places and study new plants. She could at least have that much fun, while secretly plotting against the evil organisation. She'll prove them how evil she herself can be.

"I understand."

Mei perched her ears upon hearing the familiar yet scary voice. So orangehead was the leader?

"You'll leave as soon as she's up. Tobi will be waiting shortly after crossing the border. You'll switch with Hidan and Kakuzu in Waterfall Country and Tobi will come back here once the ingredient is collected. Hidan and Kakuzu will escort her farther to Fire Country where Itachi and Kisame will take her over."

Her breath hicthed in the back of her throat. She would have to spend most of her traveling time in Itachi's company. But maybe that was for the best. She believed that she still knew him quite well—his reaction the other day to her reminiscent words was proof enough.

The conversation ended with nods of approval and the two men returned to the hostage, who was sitting on her bed, patient. "Can I take a bath and change my clothes before we leave?" she casually asked.

Sasori didn't pay much attention to her, "Do as you please," instead focusing on his puppets. "I've taken the liberty to bring along some of your personal things. They're in the storage," he added without looking up from his masterpieces.

Mei jumped down and walked to the back of the cave, searching for the 'storage room'. The place was dimly lit so she could hardly see anything. She heard a grunt, heavy steps, then Deidara showed up in front of her, holding a box.

"Thank you," she muttered, puffing her cheeks.

"You're welcome, un," he mocked her in return.

With a snort, the girl went to the better lit side of the cave to examine the contents of the box. Her katana and many poison vials along with a medium sized pouch were placed on top of some folded clothes. There was also a pair of ninja boots with covered toes and heels buried on the bottom. Sasori had picked a couple of her personalized kimono—short, sleevless and split on thigh-level—the black cloth she wrapped her forearms with before putting on the metal protectors (although those were missing), more pairs of boxer shorts, a big towel and…a cloak.

Mei froze at the sight of the black cloak patterned with red cloouds. It was Itachi's cloak in which she had escaped the previous time. Was this further psychological torment? She'd take the challenge.

Grabbing the towel, a pair of shorts and a clean kimono, she stormed out of the cave into a larger cavern. She stopped for a second, impressed by the sudden change of scenery, then spotted the stripe of water at the base of the huge boulder. "Don't you dare peek!" she shouted and headed towards the water. It was probably cold but who cared? She certainly didn't. She needed something refreshing to get her back to her feet. A cold bath was perfect.

She peeled off her dirty clothes and tried the water with the tips of her toes. She got goosebumps all over her body but dove in anyway. She tried to keep her mind off Itachi, although that was next to impossible. Instead, she suddenly remembered about Kitaě. But that wasn't the best choice of thoughts, either.

With a sigh, she gave up on thinking. That's why she didn't like it. Spontaneous ideas were more of her cup of tea. Speaking of the devil, she would have to come up with such an idea to make that poison. She knew the ingredients but what mattered more was how they were mixed. She couldn't just dump them all together in a pot and boil them.

That train of thought was soon abandoned as well. Mei went under water one more time before she resurfaced, decided that the sweat and dust had washed off. She stepped out, taking a look at her scarred belly as she wiped her hair. Sasori was definitely the third on her list.

She put on the shorts then slid in her dark red kimono. She wrapped a wide gray obi around her torso—it covered her whole ribcage, from the hips till below the breasts. On her waist she added a long, thin brown leather belt, with a small buckle in the middle and two strings hanging from each of its ends. The buckle was right above her navel and the two ends were tied together at the front, on her right hip, creating an x at the back.

Her hair was still wet so she kept the towel on her head. Returning to Sasori's den, she dumped her old clothes in the box and traded the home slippers she had been abducted in for the ninja-like boots. She completed her outfit by fixing the pouch at her back, on the belt, after filling it with the vials of poison. Her katana had short, decorative strings around the top of its scabbard which she tied together with the belt strings. She took some bandages to wrap around her wrists. Over the bandages, she put the black cloth which covered most of her forearms and the back of her hands, finishing with silver rings on each of her middle fingers.

With that, there was only one thing left. Gulping, Mei stared at the cloak that once belonged to Itachi. She slipped in one arm, then the other, then freed her hair, letting it flow down her back, over the cloak. She grinned. Challenge accepted.

"I believe we can leave now," she told Sasori with a smile.

The redhead said nothing and jumped into his puppet.

"No, _now_ we can leave, hm," Deidara answered instead, dropping a conical straw hat on her head. But she took it off to let her hair dry before following the two men outside.

The huge boulder was lifted, flooding the cavern with light. Mei shut her eyes for a few seconds but when she opened them, they went wide. A big, white bird was waiting for her. She took her time to marvel at it.

"Come on, hm! We don't have time to waste," Deidara scolded her.

Mei ignored his comment and hurried towards the bird. She tried to jump on it but to no avail. It was too high and she had been paralysed for a long time, not to mention the emotional damage taken from the genjutsu.

She whimpered with her arms outstretched, deeply frustrated. Deidara sight annoyed, grabbing her hands and dragging her up. Neither of them uttered a word. Deidara returned to his previous while Mei sat down with her legs crossed. Sasori had gone ahead of them, walking on the river. The bird also took off, flying low next to the puppet-master.

"Whoa! I'm flying! I'm really flying!" Mei cheerd, excited. Deidara grinned to himself but remained quiet.

They were all silent, actually. Sasori was his usual calm self while Mei was too busy admiring the scenery—which changed from a thick forest crossed by a river to a desolate and plain desert after a couple of hours. So they were passing through Wind Country to get to their first objective, the Swamp Country. Mei put on the hat to shield herself from the blazing sun and wild sand. They were supposed to meet up with some Tobi guy, shortly after crossing the border. But where was he?

"Senpai! Over here, over here!"

Deidara facepalmed himself upon hearing the cheerful voice. Mei looked down and saw a spiky-haired man, wearing an orange, swirled mask with only one hole for his right eye.

Even when they landed, Mei was still staring at him. "Hello! You must be Mei-chan!" he greeted, taking her hand. "I'm Tobi! I'm sure we'll have fun!"

Those last words earned him a smack upside the head from the blonde he had called 'senpai'. "We're on a mission, not a social visit, hm."

"Deidara-senpai is such a meanie!" Tobi cried, running to hide behind Mei.

The girl stood awkwardly between the two men, unsure of what to do. "This is no time for games," Sasori's thick voice interrupted them, "we've got a long way to go."

"Just as Sasori no danna says, hm." Deidara's bird disappeared in a puff of smoke. It'd actually just become smaller. He took it in his hand and put it back in one of his clay pouches.

Mei pulled the hat over her eyes as she, along with Tobi, walked ahead of Deidara and Sasori. Glancing at her right, she couldn't help but think what kind of man Tobi was. And what kind of humans the other Akatsuki members were. So far, Itachi was the most normal one.

"Tch," Mei mentally cursed herself for bringing up thoughts about Itachi again. She had to erase him from her heart. After all, she was going to kill him.

* * *

><p><strong>Ahem...school's starting in a week. -.- I'm also handling other stuff besides The Dark Path so updates will be slower from now on. Sorry! Please tell me what you think of it! Also, can you recommend a goo, trustworthy but not-too-busy beta-reader? Just name it and I'll message the person myself. Thank you!<strong>


End file.
